Safe Travels - Summer 2008

Those of us who tuned in for the latest installment of the hit show Lost, or who caught Tom Hanks in Castaway a few years back, have seen Hollywood’s version of what it might be like to find oneself stranded on a deserted island.

Technology meets Functionality

Those of us who tuned in for the latest installment of the hit show Lost, or who caught Tom Hanks in Castaway a few years back, have seen Hollywood’s version of what it might be like to find oneself stranded on a deserted island. Many of us have even joked about things we’d take with us if such a situation ever occurred, like chocolate, a good book, or as misery loves company, the companionship of another. While Hollywood and our imagination have conjured up great stories, the reality is anything but glamorous.

Speaking not from experience, one can imagine survival instincts would immediately kick into high gear, almost as fast as the questions, “How long will I be here and how will rescue know where I am?” It’s these exact uncertainties those at the Breitling Watch Company (www.breitling.com) have reacted to when they decided to create the very first consumer based Emergency Chronograph.

Developed in 1995, and since then saving the lives of at least 17 thankful wearers, the watch was designed for pilots in case of an emergency ditch, though it has since adorned the wrists of many adventurers including Sir Richard Branson and Astronaut Buzz Aldrin. The watch incorporates a micro-transmitter that acts as a homing beacon for SOS signals and rescuers, and is activated by unscrewing the protective cap and pulling out the antenna. The watch will then emit a 48-hour signal on the 121.5MHz aircraft emergency frequency with a range of around 100-miles. Coupled with a pocket-size EPIRB, rescue will never be too far off.

As a time piece even 007 would find impressive, the Breitling Emergency Chronograph makes for one heck of a conversation “time” piece.

Don’t Let This One Get Away

Think about it; what would happen if your next fishing adventure includes a car accident, broken bones, malaria or other serious illness? After spending thousands on that special trip, you may find yourself in a local substandard facility that insists on full payment before treating you. Air evacuation can set you back tens of thousands of dollars. If you are traveling abroad, your health, travel or credit card coverage probably won’t apply. At Destination Fish, we’ve found the best coverage possible should the unexpected occur. For just $75 per trip, the Air Rescue Card™ ensures appropriate medical care if you need it, and will even transport you home with a medical team to a U.S. hospital of your choice — at no additional expense to you. Coverage applies anywhere in the world if you’re 99 miles from home, and even includes no-cost return home for your spouse and dependent children. Insure all your travels for an entire year for less than the cost of a Penn International.

Visit www.DestinationFish.travel to start your coverage. There are no forms, no deductibles and no age limitations. Destination Fish and the Air Rescue Card™. We bring you home. Anywhere! Anytime!

Survival of the Fittest

Who better to create a survival kit than someone who’s had to put survival instincts into practice? George Van Orden, the founder of the Pro Survival Kit Company (www.prosurvivalkit.com) and a 21-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps, has developed the mother of all portable survival kits.

Housed in a 6.5 x 6 x 2.5-inch Cordura nylon belt pouch and weighing in at 27.6 ounces, the Master Pro Survival Kit contains everything the serious adventuring angler might need in case of an emergency, including all the standard first-aid supplies, a SOG Cross Grip wire cutter, a Columbia River knife, a saw blade, a fire starter kit, a Star Flash signal mirror, roll-up sunglasses and wouldn’t you know, a fishing kit. To check out all the other inclusions within this versatile kit, visit the official Pro Survival Kit website.

Next Generation Flares

The thing about most survival equipment is that it’s usually made for limited use. It’s obvious no one wants to be in an emergency situation any longer than they have to, and while you hope rescue will arrive as soon as possible, one never knows how long it could take. That’s why it never really made sense that signal flare companies specifically, have never taken the technology to another level. We’re talking about a piece of equipment that can very well save your life, and yet it only lasts for seconds and then fizzles out.

Recently, I came across the exact device I was looking for, Greatland’s Rescue Laser (www.greatlandlaser.com), a laser flare that is operable for hours and can be seen from as far as 30-miles away at night, and three to five miles away during the day. That’s compared to an average of one to three miles that most strobes and flares provide. The lasers are waterproof up to 80-feet and anodized for improved corrosion resistance. They’re compact and can be attached to a life jacket or added to a survival kit, but most importantly, they’re safe.

A “Must Have” Travel Guide

Most anglers who travel seem to figure that as long as you know some of the basic words like “restroom” and “food,” or “please” and “thank you,” that you’ll get along just fine in a foreign continent. For the most part that’s true, but the fact is, you’re at much of a disadvantage, especially when your personal safety is concerned. Sure there are translation books aplenty, but the Barron’s At A Glance Travel Guide (www.barronseduc.com) offers so much more without the hassle of learning an entire other language for a brief trip, hence “at a glance.”

The pocket-size book offers information on train systems and timetables, ATM locations, maps and faxes in major foreign cities and towns, aside from a countless number of specific phrases and words a traveler might use. The Barron’s guide can be picked up at any Barnes & Noble.